Moving beyond a figurative psychedelic literacy: Metaphors of psychiatric symptoms in ayahuasca narratives.
Social Science & Medicine October 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116171 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | International guests at an ayahuasca healing center in Pucallpa, Peru |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Topics | Ayahuasca Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Integration Metaphor Narrative medicine Ontology Psychedelic-healing psychedelic therapy Plant medicine therapy Entheogenic healing Narrative-medicine storytelling therapy Therapeutic narratives Healing stories Ayahuasca-ceremony ayahuasca ritual |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | Conceptual metaphors in ayahuasca narratives express reappraisal, overcoming, and sometimes emboldening of psychiatric symptoms, suggesting an intrinsic metaphoricity of psychedelic experiences. |
Abstract
Metaphors, analogies, and similes commonly appear in narratives of drinking the potent psychedelic "ayahuasca", presenting an intriguing transcultural pattern. Based upon survey and field research at an ayahuasca healing center in Pucallpa, Peru, the article investigates conceptual metaphors in narratives of ayahuasca experiences made by the visiting international guests. Bodily metaphors and visionary analogies frequently appear in narrative plots where they can express the reappraisal, overcoming, and sometimes emboldening of symptoms diagnosed by psychiatry. Moving beyond the literal-figurative divide, the article explores the intrinsic "metaphoricity" of psychedelic experiences and advocates for a literacy of conceptual metaphors regarding both clinical and non-clinical psychedelic narratives. Developing this literacy can broaden approaches in psychedelic psychiatry that analyze and treat syndromes and disorders, while also being applicable to social science and humanities research that examine psychoactive drug use beyond medical frameworks.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on ayahuasca, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The antipodes Of the mind Indigenous people, shamans, members of different religious sects using Ayahuasca, and... | 2002 | Qualitative study | |
| Drug Tourism or Spiritual Healing? Ayahuasca Seekers in Amazonia Westerners participating in an ayahuasca retreat in Amazonia | 2005 | Qualitative study | |
| Therapeutic Effects of Ritual Ayahuasca Use in the Treatment of Substance Dependence—Qualitative Results Therapists, expert researchers, and individuals who underwent ayahuasca-assisted... | 2014 | Qualitative study | n = 29 |
| Nourishing the Spirit: Exploratory Research on Ayahuasca Experiences along the Continuum of Recovery from Eating Disorders Individuals previously diagnosed with an eating disorder | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 16 |
| Exploring ayahuasca‐assisted therapy for addiction: A qualitative analysis of preliminary findings among an Indigenous community in Canada Indigenous adults in Canada who participated in ayahuasca-assisted ceremonial retreats | 2019 | Qualitative study | n = 11 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- The Role of Music in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: A Comparative Analysis of Neuroscientific Research, Indigenous Entheogenic Ritual, and Contemporary Care Models. Psychedelic Medicine December 2, 2024
- Real-world evidence of the collective effects of psychedelic therapy: Evaluating from the grassroots Journal of Psychedelic Studies May 27, 2024
- Healing with Ayahuasca the Plant Teacher: Psychedelic Metaphoricity and Polyontologies. Medical Anthropology October 2, 2024
- Psychedelics, rebirth experiences, and the limits of current research Psychedelics July 1, 2026
- Observing the mind under psychedelics: conceptual metaphors used following four once-weekly macrodoses of psilocybin Philosophical Psychology April 10, 2026
and 3 more in the library
Cites 38
- Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later Journal of Psychopharmacology May 30, 2008
- Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. Pharmacology & Therapeutics May 1, 2019
- Ego-Dissolution and Psychedelics: Validation of the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI) Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 14, 2016
- Constructing drug effects: A history of set and setting Drug Science, Policy and Law 2017
- Patient Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Journal of Humanistic Psychology April 28, 2017
and 33 more in the library